Chrysalis

"I still don't understand why I have to be the one to wear this," Leeroy grumbled.

"You know exactly why," Brendant was having none of her sibling’s nonsense, "because we asked this crafter to make it to fit you, since you're the one most in need of extra protection."

Leeroy fidgeted and wiggled and the many, many different pieces of equipment were attached to her carapace by the fussy crafter, who constantly had to poke and prod the council member to get her to be still.

"Stop your fidgeting,” the crafter scolded, "the point of this armour is to keep you alive."

"That's why I don't like it," the soldier muttered.

"What was that, Leeroy?" Brendant demanded.

"Nothing! Nothing at all."

"You've been warned any number of times to adjust your attitude," Brendant told her wearily, "you aren't a hatchling anymore, stop acting like it. It's your responsibility to fight, yes, but also to do everything you can to preserve the investment the Colony has made in you. Do you think everyone is given complete core evolutions like you? Does every ant in our family receive the personal education of the Eldest? You need to stop being so selfish."

Leeroy endured this lecture in dignified silence, she'd heard the same thing many times before. At times she wondered if she was just built fundamentally different compared to the rest of her siblings. She just couldn't see things the same way they did. But the Eldest had spoken, and everyone appeared to accept their word. All Leeroy could do is continue to secretly plot and plan her own glorious contribution to the greatness of the Colony. Something that this new armour would actively seek to impede!

Already she hated it.

"There are five cores powering the enchantment matrix," the crafter was saying, "two of those are here and here," she thwacked the metal with an antenna to indicate the locations, "which help to regulate the weight of the heavier plates."

crafter moved toward Leeroy's head where she finished tightening the straps

metals here are infused with earth mana and the cores help to enhance that stability and hardness. The idea is to

thick carapace that housed a powerful musculature. Even with the enchantments lightening the load,

together ingeniously, clips, hooks and straps used in a variety of clever places to help hold the suit together. She didn't have high expectations for this project, but looking at the final product now, she had to admit that she was impressed. Leeroy had been transformed from an indomitable soldier to something else entirely. The helmet gave her the visage of a fearsome demon, the

body. Virtually no protection was afforded to the underside of the carapace. The idea

would allow the armour to flex whilst the inner layer would transfer force from the armour to the carapace, dispersing the impact across a wider area and borrowing the

now but test it. Are you happy to proceed,

ant did one final tour around the indignant form of her test subject, checking straps and brushing her antennae lovingly over the plating one final time.

"It's ready."

ants cleared space to allow the

going to enjoy

the next ten minutes, she charged, bit and battered her sibling as Leeroy stood and absorbed the punishment with a resigned attitude. From the side, the crafter watched intently, her heart pounding in her chest. She needn't have worried, her work held up

it's far more durable than I expected," the soldier observed as she stepped back. "Although

able to wear a suit this heavy," the crafter

Alright then Leeroy, time for revenge,

her enthusiasm was lacking. Without the threat of very real, mortal danger, she just couldn't become enthused. She shook her body to settle the armour, still adjusting to the

The power, the force, the unstoppable momentum! This

Leeroy dashed with all her strength, her speed much reduced but the power of that charge was undeniable. Brendant braced herself as best she could, but it was for naught. When the fusion of steel and insect that Leeroy had become collided with her, Brendant was instantly bowled

was a crude and brutish thing, lacking the elegance and with only a fraction of